A Bowdoinham business committed to energy efficiency and environmental consciousness has taken that commitment a step further.

Emerald Builders of Bowdoinham announced they would be joining 1% for the Planet. As a member of 1% for the Planet, Emerald Builders will work with the organization to donate 1 percent of its annual sales to nonprofit organizations with an environmental focus.

“We started the company in 2006. It started with the idea of being green, we’re focused fully on energy efficient, eco-conscious building each and every time,” said Reggie Lebel, president. “We joined 1% because we’d really like to see the industry take it up a few notches and try to be a lot better than what we’re doing.”

The mission fits in line with the work of Lebel and his staff at Emerald Builders. They build net-zero homes, which are homes that produce as much energy as they consume. Renewable, natural materials are used in the building process wherever possible.

The company also does deep energy retrofits for older homes and buildings. John Deans is a carpenter and the marketing director for Emerald. He would like to see other construction companies and contractors follow their lead.

“We just want to see this becoming the norm, in our opinion this is how homes should be built,” said Deans. “A lot of this comes down to priority and how incentives work, we have an economy that prioritizes cheap and easy, but doesn’t think of the long-term costs.”

Saving on long-term costs is an added benefit to a net-zero home. With the company’s current project in Brunswick, Lebel and Deans anticipate their clients will be free from an electricity bill. To accomplish this, every aspect of the home is meticulously planned. Lebel worked with Michael Maines Residential Design to make an air-tight design for the home. Keeping the home air-tight to reduce heating and cooling needs is essential to the project. Lebel and his staff of four must work closely with subcontractors and designers to capture every detail of construction.

“We’re a small company. One of the nice things about being at our scale is every project gets our full attention,” said Deans. “With this type of project, we can’t miss any detail.”

The walls of the home have a foot of insulation. Window bays are also insulated with dense packed cellulose, a recycled fiber. To build a home that produces as much energy as it consumes, the planning doesn’t end at design and insulation. ReVision Energy works with Lebel and his staff to provide shading models to analyze the need and predict how solar panels will perform.

“A large part of the heating load can be from natural air exchange,” said Lebel. “We try to get as much free energy from the sun as we can. Once we bring the loads down as much as we can, that’s when we rely on renewable energy.”

While Lebel would like to see more homes built this way, joining 1% for the Planet is his way of furthering his company’s commitment to being environmentally conscious. He hopes other businesses in the construction industry will follow the lead of Emerald Builders. The company is one of just three in the industry globally to make the same commitment.

Thirteen Maine businesses are currently involved in the organization.

“I’m here assembling wood all day, I’m a builder,” said Lebel. “We said we should be giving to the people who are out there to make a change. We decided this year is the year we have to do it and inspire other businesses in our industry to make a change.”

1% for the Planet will calculate the contribution at the end of the year. The organization then helps identify local nonprofits dedicated to the cause. Deans called it a “self-imposed commitment to the environment.” It’s a commitment they are happy to share with others.

Emerald Builders will again be partnering up with ReVision Energy at a May 14 event at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick to discuss how to make a home more energy efficient.